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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29907213">chronicles from the butterfly effect</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/roastedsunflowerseeds/pseuds/roastedsunflowerseeds'>roastedsunflowerseeds</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>ranboo-centric fics [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dream SMP - Fandom, Dream SMP | Minecraft, Minecraft (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, Author Took Too Much Time Writing This, Exile Arc on Dream Team SMP Angst (Video Blogging RPF), Explosions, He never gets one, Hurt No Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Manipulation, Non-Linear Narrative, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Ranboo Needs a Hug (Video Blogging RPF), Ranboo-centric (Video Blogging RPF), Slow To Update, Technoblade is Bad at Feelings (Video Blogging RPF), There's A Tag For That, Unreliable Narrator, Villain Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), i mean what do you expect, oneshots, some light swearing</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-05-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 19:21:47</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,100</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29907213</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/roastedsunflowerseeds/pseuds/roastedsunflowerseeds</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Ranboo gave Dream his memory book. He watched as it fell in the hole as well as TNT. With just one arrow, his only records of his life were gone.</p><p>or:</p><p>oneshots about experiences ranboo had in exile/basing around the au where ranboo got exiled.</p><p>- takes place in an au where ranboo took the credit for george's house and therefore got exiled instead of tommy.</p><p>- not rpf, its about their rp characters on dsmp</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ranboo &amp; Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>ranboo-centric fics [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2158977</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>235</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">


        <li>
            Inspired by

            [Restricted Work] by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Toaster_Rat/pseuds/Toaster_Rat">Toaster_Rat</a>. Log in to view.
        </li>

    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>i read i'll take the arrow for you and got an idea! heavily inspired by it, please go read it it's great :]]<br/>i actually wrote like,,, 1k more for this but I couldn't make it work so it's been scrapped L<br/>might continue this but I have a bunch of more things I need to do so yknow</p><p>tws /// heavy manipulation (courtesy of dream) and a panic attack (??? i used my own experience)</p><p>tell me if I need anymore, hopefully I wrote this correctly<br/>constructive criticism is welcome! </p><p>(divider is a timeskip)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was a routine now.</p><p>Wake up, wait for Dream, give Dream his things (if he’d gathered any at all,) do whatever Dream wanted, sleep, and repeat.</p><p>At the very least, Ranboo had some things to do. He’d taken a lot of solace in journaling, his memory book becoming less of a memory book and more of a journal. He had a sneaking suspicion that Dream knew he never threw away the book, but at the very least, he hadn’t said anything about it, which Ranboo was grateful for. </p><p>It was lonely. Incredibly lonely. But at least he had Dream. It’s not like Ranboo had expected anybody else to visit, but he had foolishly hoped that somebody would visit, at least out of curiosity. It was stupid to wish for, though. </p><p>Ranboo did have a house. He’d made it himself. It looked terrible, though. Dream had reminded him many times. It wasn’t like Dream was wrong. Ranboo wasn’t much of a builder. He wasn’t much of anything, really. Just a nobody on a server, half of which probably didn’t even know he existed.</p><p>Ranboo flipped through his memory book, letting out a painful sigh. He’d only managed to keep track of the days through it. It’d been a week or so. Was a week enough time for a routine to be established? He did adapt very quickly. He turned his attention to the warbling of the Nether portal as Dream stepped through, already taking off his armor. He didn’t really need armor. He should probably stop making it. Sometimes he just needed something to do with his hands, but it wasn’t really worth it, was it?</p><p>Soundlessly, Dream took his armor and blew it up. Ranboo dashed away from the explosion and shielded himself with his hand as the iron armor he’d absentmindedly made yesterday blew into a thousand pieces.</p><p>Dream hummed approvingly before speaking to Ranboo. “So, is there any reason why you carry that book everywhere?” </p><p>
  <em> So he definitely noticed, then. </em>
</p><p>“Well, I- I don’t have good memory, so I write down the things I need to remember. It’s a memory book, you know?” Ranboo awkwardly explained, wringing his hands together nervously. Dream tilted his head curiously.</p><p>“So that’s why you didn’t give it to me when I asked.” Dream said offhandedly, tone sharp. “It would be a shame if something happened to it.”</p><p>Ranboo felt his heart drop, gripping his book tightly and pulling it to his chest.<br/>
<br/>
“Give me the book, Ranboo.” </p><p>Whenever people talk about their fight, flight, or freeze reflex, they like to say they’d fight with honor to the end or shamefully admit they’d run until they couldn’t run anymore. In the end, it wasn’t a choice. It was down to instinct. Ranboo, personally, wasn’t sure what he would choose. Being a hybrid was strange, and he wondered what side would take over when it’s down to the wire.</p><p>He guessed it was a combination of both when he froze, staring in panic at the masked man before him. Thoughts raced through his head at a million miles an hour, darting from <em> fight him </em>to <em>run as fast as you can</em>.</p><p>Ranboo regained his composure, stammering out a sharp “And why should I?” </p><p>Dream shrugged, casually playing with his sword. “Because if you don’t, I’ll kill you.” He hummed, tone calm. “Maybe I’ll do it twice. Then you’ll only have one life left, and, well, if you really want me to, I can take all three.”</p><p>Ranboo gaped at Dream, speechless. He can’t escape. <em> He can’t escape. </em></p><p>Dream is fast, faster than Ranboo ever could be, after speedrun after speedrun and manhunt after manhunt. He’s skilled, too, could easily beat Ranboo in a fight. Nobody would help him. Nobody would even know. Nobody would care if he were dead permanently, hell, they’d be glad they’d gotten rid of him.</p><p>
  <em> I can’t do anything. </em>
</p><p>“Dream, please, I-” Ranboo swallowed dryly, shaking. “Please don’t- I don’t want to forget- I <em> can’t </em>forget-” He practically begged, having nothing else he could’ve done. </p><p>“Do you think I want to hurt you? This is for your own good. Give me the book, and you won’t get hurt.” Dream held out a hand, expectantly waiting for Ranboo to hand it over. Like he knew that Ranboo didn’t have the courage to fight or the strength to run. Like he knew Ranboo wouldn’t be in any position to argue.</p><p>He was right.</p><p>Ranboo gave Dream his memory book. He watched as it fell in the hole as well as TNT. With just one arrow, the only records of his life were gone.</p><p>“See? That wasn’t so hard, was it?”</p><p>Ranboo nodded numbly, feeling colder than before.</p>
<hr/><p>Exhaustion bled into all of Ranboo’s days, tugging at his limbs and begging for a break. He wouldn’t dare complain; not when Dream had done so much for him, but it was getting harder to get up each morning. </p><p>“I have plans if you’d like to help?” Dream had said, and Ranboo agreed, of course. Why wouldn’t he help his closest (<em> and only </em>), friend? The plans required a lot of grinding, so he obliged. When he was on the verge of collapsing, Dream would remind him to take a break and not to forget about it tomorrow. He appreciated it.</p><p>“You’re going to come with me,” Dream said. It wasn’t a question. “To L’manberg.” Anxiety pricked at Ranboo, a quiet revelation resurfacing in his fuzzy, bleary memory. “Wasn’t I exiled?” He asked, confused. Dream waved his hand dismissively. “It doesn’t matter. L’Manberg doesn’t matter, in the end.”</p><p>Ranboo nodded blankly, gears turning. <em> What does he need?  </em></p><p>Dream began to lead him through the world. He didn’t remember the way back to L’Manberg, silently wishing they could just take a Nether portal before shaking away the thought. He wasn’t <em>allowed </em>in the Nether, it was a miracle Dream was even talking to him. Asking for more would just be greedy.</p><p>“Stay quiet.” Dream hissed as they arrived in L’Manberg. Ranboo could hear and see other people, but they carefully edged away from them and to the.. community house(?) Was that what it was called? Ranboo didn’t remember, as usual.</p><p>“You know how to make TNT, right?” Dream asked. Ranboo hesitated before nodding, not liking where this was going. </p><p>“Craft TNT with all the resources you gathered and blow up the community house. Don’t use all of it, I still need it, but make <em> enough </em>.” Dream said, gesturing towards the community house. “And then leave. Hide behind a tree or something, I’ll find you. Stay quiet and don’t move.” Ranboo froze, searching for answers in his impassive mask, but to no avail.</p><p>“What? Why?” Ranboo asked. Dream sighed. “Just do it. I have somewhere to be right now, you know.”</p><p>Ranboo moved to start crafting TNT; he couldn’t help notice his hands were shaking. <em> Why does Dream need me to blow up the community house? Didn’t he help create it? </em>Ranboo wasn’t sure of anything, but Dream has told him stories about the server from time to time, vividly describing how he’d built the community house together with George and Sapnap. It didn’t sit right. Was anyone else okay with this? Why was he even doing it in the first place?</p><p>Ranboo’s shaking hands finished crafting and let the TNT drop out of his hands. “Dream.. I’m not sure if- not sure if I can do this. I don’t really- it’s not-“ Ranboo shook his head. “I don’t think anyone else would be okay with this.”</p><p>“Because you’d know everything about what anyone else thinks.” Dream laughed darkly, Ranboo stumbling back a bit as Dream continued. “Do I need to remind you that your last interaction with anybody else was Tubbo <em> exiling </em>you?”</p><p>“I don’t think-“</p><p>“You’ve been nothing but a <em> nuisance </em>the whole time you’ve been on this damn server.” Dream roughly shoved Ranboo onto the ground, him yelping as he hit the ground. </p><p>“You should be grateful I even <em>talk</em> to you. I saved your ass, and <em>this</em> is how you repay me. The first thing you did on this damn server was burning down George’s house and you just expect everything to be handed to you on a silver platter. You can’t even do one thing. You can’t do <em>one thing </em>right.”</p><p>Ranboo’s gaze dropped to the ground, shame burning through him. God, Dream was <em>right</em>. What was <em>wrong </em>with him? </p><p>“...I-I’m sorry.” He stammered, guilt coursing through him.</p><p>Dream forced Ranboo to look at him with the tip of his sword, Ranboo involuntarily shuddering. “Then show it.”</p><p>Dream shoved the TNT back into Ranboo’s hands and briskly walked away. Ranboo nodded fervently, jerking away and keeping his head down as he planted the TNT. He blinked away traitorous tears as he sparked the flint and steel and quickly ran away from the TNT as it exploded, tripping over and falling hard a good distance away from the now blown up community house.</p><p>Ranboo let out a shuddering sob as he leaned against a tree, breathing labored and panicked, clasping a hand over his mouth. <em> Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. </em></p><p><em> Why can’t you do anything right? </em> He scolded himself, his breathing not evening out. Everything felt numb, on pins and needles. His mind was a constant loop of <em> You messed up, you messed up, you messed up</em>. His face stung from the tears tracing down his already scarred cheeks. </p><p>Ranboo was so, so confused. He didn’t know if he did the right thing. He trusted Dream (<strike> <em> don’t trust Dream, </em> </strike> ) but then why, why did he have to blow up the community house? Surely no one would be okay with that? But it was <em> Dream</em>. </p><p>He pulled his knees to his chest and buried his face in his hands, rocking slightly. He wasn’t sure what he even felt guilty for anymore. What he had just done clashed hard with most of his morals, the last time he did that was- <em> before he got exiled</em>.</p><p>Ranboo thought he might be sick.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>so i guess im writing more for this au lol!<br/>i got interested in this au again bc of hobblywobbly's fic (be faithful)<br/>this is basically going to be miscellaneous oneshots for this idea in no particular order- not sure if they're connected or not<br/>feel free to request things based off this au ig? idk hejdk<br/>welp,,, enjoy! please mind the tags, stay safe &lt;3</p><p>tw // implied abuse, mention of sleep deprivation, gaslighting (none from techno, dw)<br/>tell me if i need to add anymore tws</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><em> This was, by far, one of the worst ideas I’ve ever had</em>, Ranboo thought stressfully.</p><p>It was freezing. He didn’t know there was a tundra nearby at all, but he’d managed to stumble into it while running from Dream. Running from Dream. </p><p>Guilt and fear churned in his stomach. Dream would be mad. A high-pitched whine rose from the back of his throat, involuntarily shuddering at the thought. He would be <em>furious </em>and then he’d lash out. For good reason, too. What was <em>wrong </em>with Ranboo? He was running from his only friend; he had <em>one </em>job. He was horrible. </p><p>Dream would punish him, definitely, of course, he would, he deserved it- but that only made Ranboo run faster. Prime, he was a coward. He didn’t even know where to go. He would probably freeze to death and respawn in exile, and then-</p><p>His ears perked up, letting out a soft, broken laugh. </p><p>A house. Oh thank Prime, thank Prime, and the End, and the universe that had given him this blessing he was so undeserving of. He wasn’t opposed to begging, he barely had any dignity in the first place. He just needed somewhere to stay while he properly thought about exile.</p><p>Ranboo ran up to the house, tail flicking. He raised his fist to knock, hesitating for just a moment before knocking and praying to Prime that whoever lived here would have mercy. </p><p>The door opened, and Ranboo immediately regretted his decision when an intimidating man answered. The description seemed vaguely familiar- Technoblade, Dream had mentioned a few times. They were somewhat friendly rivals, as far as he was aware, and a damn good fighter. And of <em>course</em>, he had to end up here, in some form of karma. </p><p>“Uh… hello? Do I know you?” </p><p>“Uh- hello- Techno- I think- I’m sorry- I don’t have anywhere to- to stay and- I’m sorry- nevermind-” Ranboo’s ears flattened. </p><p>Techno raised his eyebrows. “Slow down, kid, I don’t even know who you are. Are you new or something?”</p><p>Ranboo shook his head. “Kinda? I, uh, got exiled.. so..” He swallowed drily. “I haven’t really been sociable.” </p><p>Techno grunted. “L’Manberg folk, huh? Yeah, they tried to execute me once. It was pretty uncool."</p><p>He coughed. "I feel like I’m morally required to let you in now, so- get in.” He stepped to the side to let Ranboo in, and Ranboo let out a relieved sigh before awkwardly shuffling in. The door shut behind him. </p><p>“What’d you even do?” Techno asked, absentmindedly looking through his chests for whatever. “No judgment here. I am, quite literally, the blood god.” </p><p>Ranboo paused, tail flicking nervously. His answers varied wildly from burning down a house to killing someone. He wasn’t sure what was real and what was just a hazy lie concocted by his brain. Dream often had to correct his memories. At some point, he offered that those were just dreams and that he should try and sleep as little as possible to reduce the number of misunderstandings from those memories. The period that followed after was a blur of pain and fatigue.</p><p>“I don’t remember,” Ranboo admitted. Techno hummed curiously. “What, do you have memory issues or something?”<br/><br/>Ranboo stared at the ground, tail tucked between his legs.</p><p>“Oh- that’s unfortunate. How long have you been exiled?” Techno questioned. <em> He asks a lot of questions</em>, Ranboo thought nervously. <em> What if I don’t answer them right? What then? </em> <br/><br/>“A- few weeks? A month? I don’t know.” </p><p>Techno glanced over at Ranboo curiously. “Really? Where have you been staying then? Please don’t tell me you’re just trying to steal my stuff.”<br/><br/>Ranboo shook his head fervently, holding his hands up like he’d been caught for a crime. “Nononono- I- uh- was alone for a while. But Dream visited a lot. So. It was fine.”</p><p>“Dream? Really?” Techno said skeptically. “Can’t imagine why. He’s a finicky guy. He’s homeless too, you know?”</p><p><em> This is what you wanted, </em> Ranboo reminded himself, heart pounding wildly. <em> So you can’t get upset if the answer isn’t what you expected. </em>He swallowed drily. “Do you have history with him or something?” </p><p>Techno grabbed a dagger. Ranboo’s heart practically jumped out of his chest at the sight, thoughts running wildly through his head. He spun it between his fingers and grabbed a metal stick of some kind. He sat down, sharpening the knife. Ranboo winced at the high-pitched sound that came from it.</p><p>“I guess you could say that.” He said. “Must have been tough just having Dream for company. I would’ve run away too. That’s what you did, right?” </p><p>“Dream’s nice once you get to know him!” Ranboo said defensively. </p><p>
  <em> Skrrch. </em>
</p><p>“I wouldn’t know.” </p><p>
  <em> Skrrch. </em>
</p><p>Ranboo’s breath hitched. Oh, Prime. Was that the wrong thing to say? He couldn’t tell. It was said casually, but what if he’d already pissed Techno off? What then? What if he got kicked out? What if he took that dagger and stabbed him? What if-</p><p>“Do you have <em>anything </em>of worth? No offense, but you also look pretty homeless. You don’t have any armor.” Techno pointed out. </p><p>
  <em> Skrrrch. </em>
</p><p>“I don’t need armor,” Ranboo said quickly, as he was supposed to. “And I’m not a very material person.” He fiddled with his hands. He shouldn’t have left Dream. He didn’t know anybody other than Dream, he already knew he was isolated both for his own safety and because he’d down something bad- <em> why </em>did he run? </p><p>
  <em> Skrch. </em>
</p><p>“You’re practically <em> asking </em>to be attacked, you know.” Techno snorted. “You need armor. This server isn’t a friendly one. Friendly or not- mobs are still a danger.” </p><p>
  <em> Is that a threat, or advice? Dream always said- but- Prime, I should’ve stayed in exile. He’s going to be so mad. He’s going to be so mad. He’s going to be so mad. He’ll be so disappointed. He was right, he was right, he’s going to punish me, I don’t want to be punished, but I deserve it-  </em>
</p><p><em> It’s going to <strong>hurt</strong> </em>-</p><p>“Are you still there, or…” Techno waved a hand in front of Ranboo’s face, snapping him out of his thoughts. He was gripping his sleeves tightly, tensed and <em>waiting</em>.</p><p>“Sorry,” Ranboo mumbled. </p><p>“It’s fine, kid,” Techno grunted, going back to sharpening the dagger.</p><p>
  <em> Skrrch. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> It’s not. </em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>the context needed for this: <br/>hearing dream in your head sucks, doesn't it?</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i actually wrote this before the previous chapter but i forgot to post it i guess lol- <br/>it's <i>very</i> short because i was originally planning to put this in one of those 5 + 1 things oneshots but i lost motivation for it- soooo here!</p><p>tw // some manipulation in the form of flashbacks and dehumanization (?) and ig self hatred<br/>tell me if i need any more</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ranboo stumbled into Techno’s house, a snowstorm raging outside. His cheeks hurt from irritating his scars with more tears and he couldn’t stop shaking, heart pounding in his chest.</p><p>“Woah there kid, what happened?” He asked. Ranboo’s brain felt twisted and used. He opened his mouth to explain, but instead found himself holding back sobs. He tucked his tail beneath his legs, ears pressed flat against his head. </p><p>Techno grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around Ranboo, escorting him to the couch to let him sit down beside him. Ranboo followed numbly, breaths coming in loud gasps as <em>his </em>words bounced around in his head. He whimpered, leaning into Techno.</p><p>“Breath with me, Ranboo, I can’t have you dying on me,” Techno reassured whilst simultaneously attempting to lighten the mood. Ranboo nodded fervently, trying to even his breathing before saying, in a voice barely above a whisper, “I- I think I’m losing it- I-”</p><p>("<em>You’re just delusional, Ranboo. You can trust me. Your memory isn’t reliable. Your memory book wasn’t reliable. The only person you can trust is </em> <b> <em>me</em> </b> <em> .”</em>)</p><p>“I keep hearing him, but he’s not there, and I-” Ranboo choked mid-sentence, shuddering. “I can’t- I can’t escape him- he’s always there, I’m always hearing him, and it wasn’t even real- he’s going to come for me. He’s going to come for me. He’s going to take me again.” </p><p>(<em>“I know what’s best for you. You trust me, don’t you?” </em></p><p><em> And he </em> agreed<em>, he always agreed.) </em></p><p>“And then I’m going to forget- and he’ll <em>use </em>me again- because I’m just <em>his </em> - just his- <em> puppet</em>, and I’ve never been anything else, and never <em>will be </em>anything else-” Ranboo forced the words out, trembling violently underneath what felt like a suffocating blanket. He had to speak. Keeping secrets only hurt him. </p><p>(<em>“Give me the book, Ranboo.” </em>)</p><p>Techno shook his head. “He’s not going to come for you. And if he does, I’ll kick his ass. Nothing could make me hand you over, got it? You’re like my protege now, I like, <em> have </em>to protect you.” He said, with hidden affection. “And you aren’t ‘just’ Dream’s puppet. You’re Ranboo.”</p><p>Ranboo manages a wobbly smile, but can’t help the guilt churning in his stomach. </p><p>He was pathetic, wasn’t he?</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>hopefully that makes? sense?<br/>dream asking ranboo to blow up the community house is both 1) so he can frame tommy for it and 2) to see how much he can push ranboo to do</p><p>oh!! also: just gonna put this idea out here bc its what I set out to write but ended up thinking "I should write some backstory first" and this happened,, i just thought it would be incredibly angsty for ranboo to hear dreams voice if he was the one exiled. the angst potential is there, please use it</p><p>thank you for reading! &lt;3</p></blockquote></div></div>
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